Lee Anderson News

On January 12th, much of the original cast of the Broadway musical FOOTLOOSE will reunite in concert at Feinstein's/54 Below.

With a handful of new pieces set to bow before the Tony Awards deadline in April, BroadwayWorld brings you a look at those currently set to bow on the Great White Way this year!

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from December 2, 2015 to January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night on Thursday, December 17. BRIGHT STAR will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, February 25, 2016 with an official Broadway opening night on Thursday, March 24 at the Cort Theatre. Carmen Cusack will make her Broadway debut as Alice, a role she originated in BRIGHT STAR's world premiere production, and will be joined by co-stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Tony Award nominee Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Tony Award nominee Stephen Bogardus, three-time Tony Award nominee Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Tony Award nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, along with Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Patrick Cummings, Sandra DeNise, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, Michael X. Martin, William Michals, Tony Roach, Sarah Jane Shanks, and William Youmans. Inspired by an astonishing true event, the wholly original new musical BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s. When successful literary editor Alice Murphy meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II, their connection inspires Alice to confront a shocking incident from her past. Together they discover a long-buried secret with the power to transform their lives. With music and book by Steve Martin and music and lyrics by Edie Brickell, BRIGHT STAR is based on an original story by Martin and Brickell and features direction by Walter Bobbie, choreography by Josh Rhodes, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, musical supervision by Peter Asher, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Rob Berman, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, and casting by Howie Cherpakov. BRIGHT STAR was developed and had its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego (Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director; Michael G. Murphy, Managing Director). BRIGHT STAR runs December 2, 2015 - January 10, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets starting at $45 are available on the Kennedy Center website, in-person at the Kennedy Center box office, or by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater now through January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night tonight, December 17.

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from tonight, December 2, 2015, to January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night on Thursday, December 17.

Tickets for the Broadway run of Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell's much-anticipated new musical BRIGHT STAR are officially on sale. Tony winner Walter Bobbie is at the helm, with Carmen Cusack on tap to make her Broadway debut in the musical, which begins previews Feb. 25, 2016 at the Cort Theatre, ahead of an official opening night on, March 24. Before its Broadway bow, BRIGHT STAR will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center from Dec. 2, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016. Below, go inside the recording studio with Martin and the company!

Tickets for the Broadway run of Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell's much-anticipated new musical BRIGHT STAR are officially on sale, BroadwayWorld has confirmed this morning.

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from December 2, 2015 to January 10, 2016.

The two authors and director Walter Bobbie talk about the excitement of creating a fully original musical.

Some bright news from BRIGHT STAR! BroadwayWorld has learned that the new musical from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, will play Broadway's Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street).

Today in 1998, Footloose opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it ran for 709 performances. Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow (among others), the lyrics by Dean Pitchford (with additional lyrics by Kenny Loggins), and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It starred Jeremy Kushnier as Ren McCormack, Stephen Lee Anderson as Reverend Shaw Moore, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Ariel Moore, Tom Plotkin as Willard Hewitt, and Dee Hoty as Vi Moore.

To celebrate the big casting news, we're flashing back to the show's original run at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre. Check out highlights and photos of the cast in action below!

BroadwayWorld is excited to announce the complete cast and Broadway dates for the new musical BRIGHT STAR from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell.

On October 2, 3, and 4, 2015, The New Yorker will present its sixteenth annual Festival, a three-day celebration that brings to life the magazine's rich reporting and incisive cultural coverage, plus live performances, film previews, and one-of-a-kind excursions throughout New York City. Drawing together an acclaimed and exciting group of writers, artists, and thinkers from a range of fields-including film, music, television, politics, architecture, science, food, and literature-the Festival is New York City's foremost cultural event of the season.

Alistair Smith, Editor of The Stage newspaper, today announces the finalists of The Stage Critic Search 2015, in association with TheatrePeople.com.

Brace yourself and get ready to roar! Returning to the Lower East Side's famous Slipper Room, Flux Industries presents Phaedra's Cabaret: AWAKEN THE BEAST. Beguiling the senses with its unique mix of theatre, live music, dance, burlesque, aerial arts and comedy, Phaedra's Cabaret is about to make Monday night the wildest night of the week!

Today in 1998, Footloose opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it ran for 709 performances. Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow (among others), the lyrics by Dean Pitchford (with additional lyrics by Kenny Loggins), and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It starred Jeremy Kushnier as Ren McCormack, Stephen Lee Anderson as Reverend Shaw Moore, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Ariel Moore, Tom Plotkin as Willard Hewitt, and Dee Hoty as Vi Moore.

The Chicago Mammals will be presenting the All Girls Project presenting 'All Girl Edgar Allan Poe from today, October 17th through November 3rd.

In celebration of this season's ON THE TOWN, we've collected 10 of our favorite dance musicals. From classics like ANYTHING GOES, 42ND STREET, A CHORUS LINE and WEST SIDE STORY to modern marvels such as NEWSIES and STRICTLY BALLROOM, the way choreography is used to tell a story continues to evolve and inspire.

What I found so utterly engaging about the world premiere of Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's new musical BRIGHT STAR is its complete unpretentiousness. Certainly its musical style --American bluegrass with a heaping helping of laid back mountain charm -- has the kind of lilting homespun ease that makes you feel like you're listening to the neighborhood jug band on mama's back porch, and there's something oddly comforting about that.